Naruto: The Shinobi of Fire, Wind, & Ice
by AxlMaster
Summary: After the attack on Konoha by Akatsuki, things have changed. Friends left to train, the Hokage has changed, and the village has become all the worse for it. As the famous Jinchuuriki returns home with new abilities, a new threat looms on the horizon.
1. Chapter 1 Intro

**Shinobi of Fire, Wind, & Ice**

**Chapter 1**

In the vast Land of Fire, out in one of its many thick forests, there is a small village. It's like most villages, a place where people work their crafts and trade their goods. Unlike the countries glorious Konohagakure, most people don't know where this village is, and for a time, they did not even know it existed. The village was small and quite, and was naught but a small blip on most maps - if it was on those maps to begin with - and there was nothing quite of note about it. It was merely a line of houses, workshops, and a restaurant here and there on the sides of a long wide road that eventually led to the Land of Fire's hidden village. All that most people knew was just that some families left Konoha, either to get away from all the crazy destructive shinobi, or due to the terror of the Nine-tails attack on Konoha. These families stumbled across a secluded spot of land, and said "We shall build our quiet and secluded village here, free of the chaos of shinobi and tailed beasts, and we shall make it the most uninteresting and unremarkable village IN THE LAND!"

For a time, that's all that what was said about the village. It was dismissed as something as a backwater community and nicknamed "Komura," or "Little Village." Then, on one night, something happened that put the village on the map, literally. An event that nobody had expected.

It was a quiet night in Komura, children were slumping into bed after a long day of school, and shop-keepers were closing for the evening. It was a night like most any other night. It was peaceful, and a steady, cool breeze was beginning to pick up. But despite the villagers expectations, tonight would be different. Nobody in the village knew how it happened. To this day they debate fiercely on who to blame for the event that transpired. Some say it was the blacksmith who failed to fully extinguish his furnace. Some that it was a careless group of teens, having a late night campfire that quickly spread. Some say that it was simply a cruel act of some malevolent deity. But whatever the reason, that night, humble Komura was set ablaze.

Most of the villagers were taken completely by surprise. Out of nowhere, fires were spreading across rooftops and on the porches of their houses. In minutes, the night sky was lit by the raging crimson inferno. The villagers had little time to evacuate, having to leave with only the clothes on their backs. Little could be done to stop the blaze. Some men and women splashed buckets of water on what areas they could get near without fear of burning themselves. Their efforts proved futile, and all anyone could do was get their loved ones to safety. Fear was thick in the air that night, arguably even thicker than the smoke. It seemed that Komura was doomed. The villagers sat outside the reaches of the fire, waiting for when their homes and possessions would be reduced to piles of ash. But as they waited, all hope gone from their eyes, salvation came in the form of something the villagers least expected; a shinobi. In the darkness of the forest, some unknown traveler came forth.

He walked with a calm, yet confident pace. From looking at him, people could tell he was not any ordinary person. He wore a long black coat with a bright orange trim that flowed in the night breeze. His pants were deep gray, as were his sandals. His hands were covered by black, finger-less gloves, each with the metal piece that suggested a shinobi's presence to any commoner. On his back was a small bag that presumably carried what possessions he had. Most of his face was obscured by his jacket's large hood, and the rest seemed to be covered in an unusual shadow that mostly hid his features. As he came near the village, the people began to grow uneasy at this man's presence. They were already suffering enough, they didn't want this guy making things even worse for them! Who was he, and how dare he approach their homes with such calm footsteps!

One villager cried out "What the hell do you want!?" At this, the man stopped. His gaze, which had been solely focused on the burning Komura, slowly shifted towards the villagers. With a voice both strong, yet gentle, he spoke the only words those villagers ever heard from him.

"I'm here to help."

With those words, he tossed his bag near the villagers, and walked into the burning Komura. He did not seemed bothered by the fires around him, in fact he seemed to hardly notice them. He walked with that same calm pace he had first appeared with, never breaking a step. He approached the center of the village, and turned so that he was facing in the direction of the villagers, seemingly to display either his lack of fear, or to give them a better view of the miracle he was soon to perform.

With of flick of his left wrist, a large knife suddenly sprouted out of his sleeve, which he slowly pulled out with unusual grace. For a knife, it was thick and unusually wide, wider than a knife would need to be. It's blade was very reflective, glistening in the light of the fire. The edge itself was a white, silvery color, but the rest of the blade was as black as his coat, probably even darker, and it seemed to have a strange mechanism in it's handle and hilt. He held it in his right hand, facing its tip towards the ground.

Suddenly, his hand flickered, and the over sized knife extended into a long blade, lightly poking the ground. It seemed mechanical, with the blade being made up of several sections that constituted its length. It seemed capable of slicing steel or whatever obstacles would get in this man's way. He readied his stance, bending his knees slightly, and lifting the blade so that it was at an angle to the ground, never wavering from its position. Whoever he was, this man knew what he was doing.

The man spun in one flowing, circular motion, seeming so quick that his entire body was nothing but a black and orange blur, and his sword let out an audible sharpness that all the villagers would remember for years to come. All of a sudden, a terrific gust issued forth from where he stood, so loud and so swift that birds for miles loudly fled their perches.

As the villagers recovered from the sudden blast of wind, they saw to their bewilderment that the fires, that were destroying their homes, had suddenly disappeared. All the fires were gone, and strangely enough so was most of the smoke. The fires were completely extinguished, their homes had been saved. And at the center of it all stood a lone man in a black and orange cloak, still in his perfect crouch-like stance, with his arm and sword extended in an upward angle, as if he had just finished off some great adversary.

Upon further investigation, the villagers found that their houses were remarkably intact. The roofs and walls were plenty damaged, but the bedrooms, kitchens and their things were mostly intact. There were scorch marks and holes in the walls, but nothing that could not be fixed with minor difficulty.

The villagers were overjoyed to say the least. The mysterious visitor himself walked back to his bag, yet he didn't have to. A small girl kept itsafe for him, and held it up to him with her tiny arms. The shinobi cracked a smile at her, and took his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He gently tousled the girls hair in a gesture of thanks, before slowly turning away from the her, and left the way he came, disappearing into the night.

The villagers ran up to her, asking if she was told his name. Was he from Konoha, or from some other country? She said he didn't say a thing to her, and that he simply left.

The incident, known as the Komura Blaze, was all the villagers talked about, and news of it spread quickly, eventually reaching the fifth Hokage's ears, who sent several ANBU agents to investigate the strange incident. They never found him, and the rumors of him being some missing-nin soon dissipated. But the news of the fire, and the shinobi who saved Komura made the village famous, and people from all over the land of fire flocked to it, eager to here the story of the Komura Blaze.

The little girl herself had her fair share of questions to answer, and she told them all the same thing, that he never said a word, and left as quietly as he entered. But, there was one detail that she kept all to herself. A detail that, had it been heard by certain gray and pink-haired shinobis, would've instantly known who this man was.

As the shinobi tousled the girl's hair, she caught a small glimpse of his face for only a second. In that second, she noticed this man had deep yellow hair, and three small, whisker-like marks on his cheek.


	2. Chapter 2 The Master Thief

7/10/13

Shinobi of Fire, Wind, and Ice

Chapter 2

The "Master" Thief

**Howdy! This is my first story on fanfic, so please feel free to r&r! All constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated! **

It was another sunny afternoon in Konohagakure. The citizens of the Hidden Leaf Village were going about their normal daily lives, or as can be normal when shinobi are hopping on rooftops and blasting fire everywhere.

* * *

On this fine day, a figure in a long, tattered, deep brown coat was running down one of the many streets in the village. Running as if the very devil was right behind him, which, in a manner of speaking, it was.

"Oh god oh god oh god, please dear Kami anyone but her! I'll take the Nine-tails itself over her!"

"Katsuro! I'll punch you halfway across the Fire Nation for this!"

Katsuro was rightfully panicked. He used to be a common beggar, and an irritating one at that. Most of his failed attempts at asking for coin ended with him trying to empty the purses of those who refused him. These attempts resulted in him lying on the ground with a large and painful lump on his head. At the most he was barely tolerated by others.

Strangely, ever since the recent attack on Konoha by the head of Akatsuki, he went from petty theft to full on robbery of local businesses. Now he was an actual problem for the Hidden Leaf, a problem that had been assigned to the very individual that was chasing Katsuro. An individual with a raging inferno in her eyes.

Katsuro turned down an alleyway hoping to lose his ferocious pursuer. He ran with a speed and agility that wouldn't be expected from a common street urchin. Ducking and rolling over various obstacles, it was clear this man had been practicing, but with whom was the big question on everyone's mind. A man who couldn't be sneaky if his life depended on it had become a semi-master infiltrator, able to steal whatever he, or whomever trained him, wanted.

But while he was good at entering, he had a real problem when it came to exiting. Somehow he always tripped up, either by literally tripping and causing a loud noise, failing to conceal his long bright purple hair, or by his curious tendency to announce his greatness to his would-be victims, usually when he shouted "Avast! You have been robbed by the master thief Katsuro!" Such stunts, or "proclamations of his skill" as he called them, eventually led to his antics drawing the attention of the Hokage.

Winding through the alleys, his chasers death threats and shouts soon faded, and Katsuro realized he was off scott free. He neared the end of a particularly wide and dark alley, his escape assured, when his pursuer made a rather extreme entrance. The shinobi seemingly dropped from the sky with near hypersonic velocity, shattering the ground it landed on, leaving a small, deep crater and kicking up a thick cloud of dust. The force of the impact sent Katsuro flying through the air and skidding along the ground.

"Not this agaaaain!"

Katsuro struggled to regain his footing; that blast had been ridiculously powerful, and the shinobi who produced it was nothing less than a juggernaut! And as the dust settled, a frightening chuckle could be heard from the impact sight.

"Heh heh heh, I finally caught up with you."

Katsuro responded, barely able to mask his sheer terror.

"Please, don't hurt me! I promise I'll turn over a new leaf! I won't rob again, I swear!"

The shinobi walked slowly towards Katsuro. Her every step heightened Katsuro's terror (use a different word here), and her icy tone only made things worse for him.

"You say that Katsuro, but we both know you'll just go back and rob _another_ store."

Katsuro scurried back on the ground, looking side to side for a way out.

"And every time, you just manage to slip away. But this time..."

The shinobi came into full view, revealing the insanely strong, and pissed, Sakura Haruno.

"I'll hit you so hard you won't even remember your own name!"

The pink haired shinobi stood tall, and furious. Her face was a bright scarlet, and Katsuro could swear he saw thin jets of steam coming from her ears. Her hands, covered by padded black gloves, were clenched, ready to pulverize anything unfortunate enough to get in her way. Her footsteps were accentuated by loud thumps,cracking the ground ever so slightly. Wood, rock, even metal wouldn't stop Sakura from capturing him. Needless to say, Katsuro was terrified beyond belief.

"Now, you wanna come with me peacefully? Or do I have to knock you senseless?"

Katsuro looked desperately for a quick escape route. The alleyway had no passages or ladders he could use. The only way out was back the way he came. But while Katsuro was fast, he wouldn't be fast enough to dodge the thunderous punches and kicks of his pursuer. He'd learned that several weeks ago, when one of his previous heists was interrupted by Sakura's fist landing, inadvertently sending him flying over most of Konoha, with most of his loot, much to Sakura's dismay.

As he slowly stood back up, Katsuro checked his pockets for anything to slow down the shinobi advancing on him. No flash bombs, no throwing stars; it looked like the end for him.

"I'm going to assume your lack of a response means you prefer the second option. Good; so would I."

With those words, she charged at Katsuro. Her fist was raised, ready to knock him out for an easy capture. She ran with the determination of a true shinobi, ready to do whatever it took to accomplish her goal. Katsuro prayed silently to whatever deity had helped him escape this woman so many times before. All he needed was a few seconds just to get away, just a few seconds. Fortunately for him, something was listening.

"Woah Sakura! Don't hit him too hard!"

"Arf arf!"

At that moment, a young shinobi and his trusty dog landed in between Katsuro and Sakura. Normally the sight of a shinobi appearing out of nowhere was nothing new. But this shinobi's dog was huge, bigger than the Katsuro or Sakura, large enough in fact to carry two people.

Sakura was quite mad at Kiba's sudden arrival. Where the hell had he been!? "Kiba! About time you showed up. I've been chasing Katsuro all morning!"

"Sorry Sakura. Akamaru here really needed to eat."

There was a brief pause as Sakura struggled to comprehend Kiba's words. He couldn't help her capture a criminal, because Akamaru needed to eat!? This pause didn't last very long. Sakura's reaction to Kiba's line was nothing short of the very personification of rage. Veins on her forehead swelled, and her mouth parted in a fearsome snarl. A faint breeze emanated from her position as her chakra levels rose. Even Akamaru, the dog that towered over her, was frightened. Kiba somehow came to realize and regret his poor choice of words, and changed his tactics to avoid getting his own face pulverized.

"Well, I mean look at him! He's at twice as big as he was two years ago! He needs to eat to keep his strength up!"

While Kiba tried, unsuccessfully to justify his late arrival, Katsuro continued looking through his pockets. A smoke bomb, a rock, anything to get away! He felt a small metallic object with a small piece of parchment attached to it. An explosive kunai, perfect for his getaway! He inched slowly back, step by step, keeping careful not to attract the attention of the pink-haired fury or the oversized dog, who was trying to get Kiba to stop talking, lest Sakura's wrath be directed at both of them.

"And you know it's important to stay in top form, I mean you understand-."

Kiba's speech was cut short by Akamaru covering his mouth with his oversized paws. While Kiba tried his best to free himself, Akamaru let out the cutest, most adorable face he could muster to gain the mercy of the fierce Sakura Haruno, who by now was surrounded by a fiery aura that was either manifested from sheer impatience or rage; Akamaru couldn't tell. She wasn't buying the cute dog face, and spoke with that icy tone that betrayed her terrifying exterior.

"Akamaru, would you be the sweetest puppy and please move Kiba out of my way right now."

Akamaru nodded rapidly. He understood enough human speech to understand what Sakura was saying. This strange scene was broken as Katsuro tripped over a crack in the alley, cursing loudly and drawing attention to himself. He then realized how screwed he was, when the second strongest woman in Konoha, an expert tracker, and his enormous dog all quickly shifted from their comedic act and focused their attention solely on him.

"Hehe. Nice doggy?"

* * *

Neither Akamaru nor Kiba took kindly to this remark, and promptly rushed him. Sakura led the charge, with Kiba and Akamaru at her sides. It looked like the end for him. But, Katsuro was nothing if not resourceful, and as he bolted out of the alley, the trio fast on his heels, he saw the large market to his right that spanned for several blocks. It was the weekly Konoha market, started recently to fuel the village's economy. Turning sharply and kicking up dust, he ran down the street and towards the tightly packed market, where the villagers would no doubt slow down the shinobi. Katsuro jumped, leaped and slid over the various tents and fruit stands, causing as much chaos as he could. Apples, tomatoes, corn, necklaces, and scarves were sent flying as Katsuro and his pursuers tore up the street.

"Goddammit! When did he get so fast, Sakura!?"

"I don't know, I think somebody has been helping him out."

Sakura could hardly chit-chat as she hopped from tent to tent, looking for an opening to finally nab Katsuro. Akamaru and Kiba weren't helping by charging through the streets, causing far more damage than Katsuro was. If this sort of chaos kept on, the village would never be fully repaired. Sakura needed their help with Katsuro, but not like this. This was just reckless abandon.

"Akamaru, see if you can cut him off!"

Akamaru barked in acknowledgment of Sakura, promptly darting to the side of the street and hopping onto a rooftop.

"Sakura! I'm supposed to give the orders here!"

"Oh quite your whining, Kiba! We've almost got him!"

Sure enough, the two were gaining on their target. Katsuro was fast, but he didn't have the determination and unlimited stamina of Sakura's loud-mouthed teammate. The thought of that moron, her moron, sent a fierce spark through Sakura, and she chased after Katsuro with renewed vigor.

Katsuro himself was beginning to feel his energy dwindle. This epic and cinematic chase would be quite taxing on anyone, and his controlled breaths descended into heavy panting. He eventually slowed, stopping to catch his breath in the middle of a large intersection. The nearby townsfolk hadn't yet noticed the shinobi, but those two were gaining fast. Katsuro scanned his surroundings for some secret path, but he was out in the open with no cover or escape routes. This was bad. Really really bad. He was beginning to panic. If he wasn't able to deliver the loot to his...Contact, Katsuro wouldn't live through the night. No matter what happened, it was absolutely vital to deliver his plunder.

He noticed a small construction site, one of many that were underway to repair the damage inflicted on Konoha. And it just so happened to be a large, four-story tall building that looked quite unstable. That would be perfect for a diversion. A well placed explosive would topple it. If he could time it just right, the ninjas would be occupied with saving the villagers and he'd be home free.

Suddenly, a pink blur landed right near Katsuro, resulting in another large crater, though thankfully there was no dust cloud. Sakura really hated it when that happened. Sure it looked awesome, and was great for scaring enemies, but the dust always got in her eyes. A clear, non-clouded entrance was much better. It showed just how bad-ass you were, and that you were capable of treating solid rock like flimsy cardboard, a trait of Sakura's that most everybody knew.

Sakura mused over her earth-shattering landing, as well the appropriate method to punish Katsuro, the idiot. The village needed all the money and support it could get, and a thief like Katsuro needed to be stopped, or at least have some sense beaten into him, preferably by her.

Katsuro made a move to run, but was stopped by the appearance of the gigantic Akamaru, who landed quite close to him with a loud _thump_. The dog snarled, daring Katsuro to try something. Akamaru still hadn't take that comment of his well at all. Katsuro made a move to run down a different street, and he was again cut off by Kiba, who snarled with gusto equal to that of his pet. It was clear that, while they would not kill him, the two ninjas and their dog would certainly make sure he was physically incapable of escaping.

"Give it up Katsuro, we've finally got you cornered. There's no trapdoor, or manhole, or zip line you can use to escape. You're days of robbing Konoha are over! This time we-"

Katsuro sighed to himself, droning out Kiba's attempt at whit. These heroic speeches were always so dull. He didn't have all day for this kind of sanctimonious drivel; he had better things to do. One of which was getting the hell out of dodge, so to speak. Plus, Kiba talked a lot more than Katsuro did, and that irritated the hell out of him.

"Cease your ridiculous chatter! You shall never stop the Master thief Katsuro! I've escaped before, and I shall again!"

Kiba struggled to come up with a comeback as his speech was cut short.

"Yeah, but those times you always have a convenient escape route; now we have you right in the open, surrounded, with no chances to slip away."

"You're finished Katsuro!" said Sakura. She was excited to finally catch this man. Yet, she couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous. True, Katsuro always had an escape plan, but it was always something fairly simple, like a trap door or a smokescreen; he was never really cornered or boxed in. Now Katsuro was cornered and had no obvious escape. What was he going to do now? He undoubtedly had a trick up his sleeve, and now was at his most desperate. He would be unpredictable. Sakura thought it might be best to appeal to his better nature.

"Just come with us quietly, and I'll ask the Hokage for a shortened jail-time."

That last remark truly made Katsuro enraged; before he was just panicked, as anyone who was surrounded by some of Konoha's finest, as well as their ferocious canine, would be. Now he was deeply offended; his bravado and arrogant expression left his face. Now he was serious, and angry. He was a thief, but he didn't deserve the judgment of the village leader. The thought of being dragged in front of a soulless monster like the current Hokage was sickening.

"Ha! You think that bastard would actually be merciful on a thief!? I'd rather die by your hands than be placed in front of him!" Katsuro spoke with a contempt and hatred Sakura had never heard from him before. His tone was filled with a previously unseen malice.

"You think you've got me cornered? Wrong! I always have an exit strategy, and this will time be no different!"

With those words he pulled out his kunai with surprising speed, and threw it with all his might at the construction site. Sakura barely had time to react, Katsuro had thrown it so quickly that she had almost time to start running at it. If that kunai hit the site, the damage and loss of life could be catastrophic. Time seemed to slow for Sakura and Kiba as they both dashed to stop the kunai, their attention torn away from Katsuro, who merely stood and watched as the two shinobi leapt with all the strength and speed at their disposal...and promptly collided with each other in mid-air. They were so focused on the weapon that they barely noticed each other.

The kunai continued on, uninterrupted by the two shinobi. As it flew, the explosive tag attached to the kunai lit with a small spark, which quickly grew, until the kunai reached its destination, colliding with a small _whump._

The kunai exploded with a fantastically loud _kaboom_, scattering debris all over the street and sending townsfolk fleeing in all different directions. Wooden planks and metal beams were sent spinning through the air, crushing nearby tents and benches. Splinters flew everywhere, landing on the rooftops and streets with the same speed as the very kunai that caused this disaster. It was madness.

Sakura lept to her feet, slowly turning and staring at the devastation with barely concealed rage. Children were screaming wildly, lost in the panic, and people struggled to find their families. Debris was scattered everywhere and countless vendors were demolished.

Utter chaos.

Caused by one selfish thief.

Sakura's jaw clenched, and she squeezed her fist so tight, ready to make the thief suffer! Katsuro would pay dearly for this.

Sakura's rage was swiftly banished, when she noticed the support structure for a four-story tall building had started to give away. The wood was cracking and creaking loudly in protest at the heavy load it bore, and the horrible noise of the metal beams bending filled her ears. The entire building began to shake. It was going to fall at any second!

"Mommy! Where are you!?"

Sakura's gaze shifted rapidly down the base of the structure, seeing a small child right next to the very soon to collapse building! The boy was so frightened that he couldn't hear Sakura's warning to run away from the danger

Sakura looked over at Akamaru and Kiba, the latter of whom was still dazed from the explosion, and the former occupied with keeping Katsuro from running away. The metal beams continued to loudly ache and moan at the strain, and Akamaru's barks could be heard as he did his best to contain the thief. Sakura didn't know what to do. If that building fell, it would crush all of them, and wreak Kami knows what fiery chaos on Konoha. But if Katsuro escaped, he might do this again, and it would all rest on Sakura herself. All of the towns pain and chaos would continue, all for this weasel's personal gain! Should she stop Katsuro and then rush to stop the building, or focus on stopping it from collapsing, and leave Akamaru to handle Katsuro by himself? Her mind raced, trying to find a solution. How would her friends do this? How would Naruto-.

Sakura's expression turned emotionless, filled with a quiet determination that showed she knew what she had to do. Katsuro had to wait. Right now, she had to protect the village and the people within it. That's what her teammate would have said.

"Try to hold him as best you can Akamaru! I got this!"

With that Sakura rushed at the boy near the building with a before-unseen speed, the ground itself seeming to propel her along, as if she was controlling the earth beneath her feet. Her pink hair flowed behind her at the force of her dash. She made a u-turn when close enough to the child, scooping him into her arms, and heading right back to the battle between Akamaru and Katsuro.

Katsuro was already gone, and Akamaru with lying on the ground, unconscious with several bruises on his body. Apparently Katsuro was also skilled in combat. Sakura skidded to a halt near Kiba's now active form. As he saw the destruction that had ensued, an image of horror was etched into his brain. Sakura was hit with guilt at the look on his face. But Sakura's concern for her friend had to wait, Kiba could handle it, at least she hoped he could.

"Kiba, take the kid now!" Kiba shook the mist from his eyes, and gently took the crying child into his arms. His gaze shifted from the squealing bundle to Sakura, who was now facing the slowing bending and falling building, and had begun taking several steps towards it! Kiba was naturally concerned with Sakura's current position.

"Sakura are you sure you can handle this!? What if you get the timing wrong, you might just make it worse!"

Sakura stopped and shifted her head slightly to Kiba. He couldn't fully see her face, but he felt a powerful aura of pure resolution and dedication; the Will of Fire, as the First Hokage called it. The strength to fight for the village's sake, and continue on no matter the odds. Sakura knew what she was doing, and nothing would stop her

"Don't worry Kiba, I've got his under control." With those words she turned back towards the wreck, and breathed one slow, deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused her chakra with the precise control she was known for. Her hands came together and formed several seals with a speed matching that of her sensei. After a few short seconds, the jutsu was ready. Her eyes opened and steeled against the now rapidly collapsing building. Just a few seconds more.

"Sakura!" Kiba called out with heavy worry. Just a few more seconds.

"Sakura, do it now!"

Now was the time to strike!

"Earth Style, Rapid Earth Pillars!"

Sakura slammed her hand against the ground, crushing it like soft gravel. It was at that moment that the ground started moving on its own; it started as a small tremor but grew into such a fierce quake that it roused Akamaru from his unconscious state. The whole earth seemed to shake, and in front of the shinobi, the ground took on a mind of it's own. A large crevasse began to form at Sakura's hand, and grew, stretching in the direction of the oncoming building. Several large pillars shot out of the crack, and went straight at the building, creating a support structure that would prevent it's destruction.

The structure groaned as the pillars slowed its descent, while small pieces of wood, metal and glass fell and scratched Sakura on the right arm, who barely noticed it, focusing solely on stopping the building. More pillars shot forth in rapid succession; this was what the jutsu was named for after all. Finally the building stopped, resting on at least twenty grand spires of rock. While it was damaged, broken in two separate pieces, the upper half could still be used for building materials. The crisis had been averted.

Sakura slowly rose up from her stance, victorious. Her mind calming from the rush she felt when using Earth Style. She had saved not just her friends from near certain doom, but also the village from greater terror. If their own shinobi couldn't protect them, who could? Sakura did her best to uphold the legacy of protecting the village, no matter the risk to her own being. She looked up at the sky, wistful for the days when her dear idiot would always cheer her on with that ridiculous foxy grin of his. She whispered to herself.

"You watching, this Naruto?"

"Holy crap, Sakura, that was incredible!" Sakura was brought back from her daydream to the sounds of Kiba's praise. Kiba was amazed by the feat his friend had performed, and the child in his arms was wide-eyed at what he had just seen.

"Heh, thanks Kiba." Sakura greatly appreciated the praise. She didn't need it of course knowing she was such a skilled and talented shinobi, but it was nice to hear every now and then.

"Are you tired at all? I know when you first started using that you got really worn out."

Sakura too thought back briefly to those days with a smile, when the most basic earth technique took a surprising toll on her. Not anymore though. Now she was exceptionally skilled, and complex techniques required minimal effort. It was a perfect fit for her style. She could create a wall to keep enemies at bay while she focused on medic work. And if she didn't need to heal anybody she could always hurl several hundred giant boulders at her targets or get them stuck in a crevasse. That was always fun.

"Nahh, that was kid's stuff right there Kiba! You see me? I am an Earth Style master." Sakura let out a grin that was frighteningly similar to her old teammates.

"Jeez Sakura, way to toot your own horn. Ouch!" Kiba's snide comment was cut short with a hard thump on his noggin, producing a large and comedic bump on his head that the child found hilarious.

"Again again!" The child said.

Sakura paused, take by surprise by the child's remark. She almost fell over in laughter from hearing it, and she ended up reminding Kiba for many years that a small child made fun of a grown shinobi.

"Ha ha, very funny." Kiba's face shifted from pained to grave.

"Sakura, you know that Katsuro got away right?"

Sakura's joy faded. She saved the people, but Katsuro, her primary objective had escaped. Officially, she had failed her mission.

Yeah, I know he did."

"And you do know the... Hokage won't exactly be happy about this, that you let a criminal get away in favor of protecting a few people?"

Sakura's anger rose, then dissipated. Kiba wasn't trying to antagonize her, he was just stating the facts. Sakura was in for one harsh talk from that worthless piece of trash. But she didn't care. Sure, Katsuro escaped, but he was bound to turn up again. And next time he did, Sakura wouldn't even be able to comprehend the anger she felt towards him. But, her main objective now was to help the villagers.

"I know Kiba, and I'll be fine. Come on, lets help fix this mess that bastard caused."

"Miss shinobi?" Sakura looked at the child with relief, he was okay, no cuts or burns to speak of.

"Yes little one? What is it?" Such innocence, even in the darkest of hours, could only be found in a small child.

"What's a bastard?"

An awkward silence covered the three people, as Sakura stood in perplexity at the child's question. She sighed, and looked at Kiba, who's jaw at the moment was wide open, and his face had turned completely white.

"Kiba, let's just clean this place up already."

"Umm, yeah! Sure thing! Here little guy, sit next to Akamaru."

"But I wanna know what a-"

"I'll tell you when you're older."

Kiba set the child down as he ran off to help put out the fires and help the injured, and to escape from the inquisitive boy.

* * *

Several hours passed slowly as the two ninja helped in whatever way they could. Kiba focused on setting out fires and moving debris, while Sakura helped the injured, of which there were thankfully few. The worst injuries were minor burns that would heal in a week or two on their own, but were easily patched up by her expert skills. The fifth Hokage had taught her well, and within a few hours her work was done. Kiba, who was eventually joined by Akamaru, worked with a focus Sakura rarely saw in him. He'd rush from one fire to the next, Akamaru joining him with several large buckets of water. The two of them, along with several villagers who were very eager to help, soon extinguished the fires. Overall, fairly simple work in the life of a shinobi.

The truly difficult task was getting the partially collapsed building back into place, as the structural damage, while not irreparable, couldn't be fixed while half of it was at a ninety-degree angle. Through a combination of Sakura extending the rock spires and the villagers use of several thick cables, they all managed to move the section close enough to its base where Sakura could erect several more pillars to repair its structural integrity. The building was still a bit of a wreck, but it could be fixed in time, like most of the village.

Luckily, Sakura, Kiba, and Akamaru were not alone in these endeavors. Soon, several other members of the Konoha 11 showed up. Team Asuma appeared, and were a great boon in repairing the damaged building, with Choji Akimichi's Super Expansion Justu, he held the building in place as Sakura made her support structure, while Shikamaru and Ino helped coordinate the repairs, pointing out which spots needed the most help. Ino couldn't help but be impressed by Sakura's precision, and standing atop one of the few metal beams that wasn't broken, she observed her skills with great interest.

"You've really got a handle on Earth Style, don't you, forehead girl."

"Well Ino, practice does make perfect, and I want to be as perfect at this as I can. If I'm going into combat with someone I want to be able to defend myself without concerning my teammates."

Ino felt some minor confusion at this statement. What teammates? Team 7 still existed, but the Hokage hadn't sent them on any missions for months. And besides, they were all occupied with other matters. Kakashi was off doing whatever it is he does, probably reading those books of his again, Yamato had gone back to doing ANBU work, and Sai was now under the direct supervision, or "employment," of the Hokage himself.

"But Sakura, what teammates do you mean-." Ino suddenly understood who her friend was talking about, and did her best to gently tell Sakura the reality of the situation.

"Sakura, he hasn't been seen in two years. There's been no word of his appearance, no letters, nothing. We don't even know if he's coming back!"

Sakura paused briefly from her work, looking slightly hurt by Ino's words. At first Ino thought she might break into tears, but then Sakura beamed up at her, and spoke with the utmost certainty and confidence in her voice.

"Trust me Ino, he'll be back soon. I know he will."

Ino couldn't tell if it was pity or respect for her words, but she decided to not test Sakura's resolve, and continued aiding her old friend, alternating between complementing Sakura's work, and shouting at Shikamaru to stop falling asleep and get off his lazy ass, dammit.

* * *

When dusk approached, the work was done, and the tired, dirtied shinobi could catch their breath with some drinks that had been gratefully provided by a nearby bartender, and sat on a bench, mulling over the events of the day.

"I'm glad that troublesome work is over with. That Katsuro is far more problematic than he's worth. Are you really telling me you couldn't catch him Kiba?"

"Hehe, well he did sort of catch me at a bad moment."

Shikamaru's comment was not lost on Sakura, who by now was deep in thought, inattentive to the two's ongoing conversation. Katsuro was never that cruel. He would never intentionally endanger the lives of people around him. At most he would shove people out of his way, occasionally leading to injuries that Sakura would be occupied with, letting Katsuro getting away. No, Katsuro wasn't a killer. He couldn't be, he didn't have the desire or ambition to kill. Something that day had made him desperate enough to knowingly commit a horrendous act on the village. Was it Sakura's attempt at calming him down? The Hokage was certainly a cruel man, and it actually would not be beneath him to execute or torture a thief like Katsuro.

No that couldn't be it. Katsuro wasn't afraid of the Hokage, he just hated the man with a passion that actually wasn't too far from what many villagers were feeling at the time. Many people had grown distrustful of their new leader and his methods, with some suggesting that they topple his leadership. These people usually disappeared for days at a time and reappeared not wanting to hear a word about the Hokage. But while Katsuro hated the Hokage, he certainly wasn't truly scared of him. It had to be something else.

The past four weeks had been different from Katsuro's usually heists. Most of the time he stole some jewelry or gold, but lately he had been robbing unusual targets. First it was the library, from which he nicked several books concerning the occult and mystical. Then it was another antique shop, from which he stole a rather large vase. Sakura still couldn't piece how he escaped that time.

But anyway, according the store owner, the vase was an artifact from before the time when the village system was created. Before the time of the Hokages, and had some unusual transcriptions on it that could only be translated with someone possessing "the eyes of the first son," whatever those were.

And today's theft seemed quite out of character for an ambitious money grabber like Katsuro. He hadn't stolen from a bank or anything extravagant, it was just a mapmaker's shop. Rather than money or diamonds, it was a map of Konoha, and a pretty old one at that. According to the shopkeeper, it was a very ancient map of Konoha in it's early years, and by now it was so inaccurate it was basically useless, in part because the village had changed greatly since the map was made, and in part because Pain had turned the entire village into a giant crater! So, what possible value could the map hold?

Was Katsuro looking for some long lost treasure that could be found in Konoha? Was he looking to gain it for himself, or someone else? Was he working for someone? And if so, who?

Sakura's head ached from her pondering, and she quickly took a large swig of her drink, which her friends noticed, Kiba in particular.

"Jeez Sakura, don't drink it all at once. I know we had a rough day but-"

Kiba soon found himself lying on the ground with yet another large bump on his head while Akamaru decided to have some of Kiba's drink, and starting lapping it out of his mug. Kiba wasn't going to miss it, now was he? Sakura continued drinking, seemingly ignorant of Kiba's presence with a mildly annoyed look on her face. Shikamaru, however, stood up from his place and walked over, standing right in front of Sakura, forcing her attention on him.

"Sakura, nobody blames you for abandoning Katsuro. You did the right thing by focusing on the building, however troublesome it might have been. Stop beating yourself over it. And stop beating Kiba for that matter. He can be annoying, but he's only expressing his concern."

Sakura sighed, realizing the error of her fist, and walked over to Kiba, patting him on the head. Ino and Choji couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of it.

"Sorry about that Kiba, I know you're just worried about me." Her words were probably lost on Kiba, who at the moment was still seeing stars and gloved fists. Satisfied, Sakura took her mug from the bench, for it was now quite empty. But Shikamaru stopped her from leaving, and Sakura saw that he looked very worried for her safety.

"You know the Hokage will want to talk to you about this right?" Sakura knew exactly where her friend was coming from. The Hokage would be very angry indeed. But she was confident in the morality of her decision. If it came down to a thief, and the lives of the villagers, Sakura would choose the latter.

"I know, and I'll be fine Shikamaru, I can handle myself. Besides, you guys will back me up right?"

Choji and Ino hopped to their feet.

"Hells yeah, forehead girl! He won't mess with us!" Ino spoke with the camaraderie Sakura knew she could count on.

"We're behind you the whole way!" Choji meant those words, and he would help Sakura however he could. They all would, even Kiba who was still lying on the ground with his dog drinking from his mug.

"Thanks guys." Sakura was truly grateful for their friendship. Years ago, they were each separate, tightly woven teams with their own rivalries and grudges. Now they were a strong, and dedicated group of Shinobi, and while some members weren't with them, they would always have each others backs. Sakura could always count on them. This state of bliss would not last.

Sakura Haruno, you are hereby ordered to appear for the Hokage for an immediate mission assessment."

The group was alerted by the voice and presence of a figure in a pitch black cloak and creepy animal mask that the organization was known for. And the fact that one was here, of all places meant that Sakura Haruno was in deep, deep trouble.

The man was an agent of Root, the organization led by the current village head, Danzo Shimura.

**Authors note: Next time on Shinobi of Fire, Wind, & Ice! What judgment will Sakura face at the hands of Danzo!? What exactly is this new character, Katsuro, looking for!? And who is he working for!? And most importantly, where in the world is Naruto Uzumaki!? DUN DUN DUUUN! **

** Well, that's all for now folks! Again, feel free to comment, ask questions, and post your reviews! I love me the feedback.**


	3. Chapter 3 The Loud Mouth Returns

7/16/12

Shinobi of Fire, Wind, and Ice

Chapter 3

The Loud Mouth Returns

** Hi everybody! I Finally got Chapter 3 finished! I'm sorry it took so damn long, summer's been surprisingly packed so it took a while to fully write and edit this chapter. And I've almost got chapter 4 done, so the delay between this and the next chapter should be significantly reduced. Enjoy, and feel free to read & review.**

It is safe to say that since Pain's attack, the village of Konoha has changed significantly. The most obvious and glaring change is that the village is no longer on smooth and level terrain. During his invasion, one of Pain's most devastating acts was to use the now notorious and feared technique Shinra Tensei, a move which allowed him to manipulate repulsive forces to either pull in objects in or to push them away, usually for devastating effect, such as when he killed Kakashi Hatake - who was later resurrected - and nearly captured the Nine-tails Jinchuriki. Unfortunately for everyone in the village, the object in his sight was the landscape upon which the village rested.

At his level, Pain created a crater spanning several miles, reaching from the villages front gate to the Hokage Mansion, utterly pulverizing the many houses, shops, and schools that made up the village, leaving only debris and the ruins of Konoha. Pain's "crater fist," as some came to call it, left it's permanent mark on the village, a reminder of the dangers that Konoha faced in the coming battles. But, the Village of the Leaf, and its residents are nothing if not resilient, and many of them proved their worth in the ensuing battle, and the years that had passed since then.

Hinata Hyuuga for one, gained much respect and praise amongst the village and her comrades for her valiant attempts to thwart Pain's kidnap of her whisker-faced friend. Hinata's clan honored her as well. The head of the clan, Hiashi Hyuuga fully acknowledged her growth, in both combat skills and bravery for standing up to an opponent that had obliterated the entire village only minutes beforehand. And while he did shake his finger at her somewhat for charging into battle with so little concern for her well-being, his daughter was so filled with joy and glee that she promptly broke down into jubilant tears the very second the meeting was over.

"You have truly earned the respect of both the village, and myself" were his words.

Other shinobi had risen to prominence for their courage as well. Konohamaru was the talk of children throughout the village, having not only stood up to one of Pain's six bodies, but also being able to fight it off with a technique only four other people in the village had mastered; the Rasengan. Needless to say, he took his new found popularity well.

There were others, like Choji Akimichi and Sakura Haruno, who showed their value as shinobi, either on the battlefield or in the hospital. Now, many of the Konoha Eleven were treated as heroes, which Choji Akimichi, but and others like Shino Aburame were less fond of the attention. The quiet insect wielding shinobi had gained his own following, much to his peers bewilderment; supposedly it was less to do with his bugs and more to do with his "calm, cool exterior," an image of Shino that, while rather accurate, caused him a fair bit of grief as his fangirls followed him around the village. A few had even started dressing like him.

The casualties of the invasion were precisely zero, thanks in no small part to Pain's "Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique," which restored the souls of all those who had died at the battle, a move caused by Naruto swaying Pain to his point of view. In the end, Pain had somewhat redeemed himself. But while the villagers were indeed joyful to be alive and not stuck in the belly of the Shinigami, they had still lost their homes. No matter how one looked at it, the village had been turned into a giant dent. A perfectly round dent that looked nice from above, but a dent that had devastated the village nonetheless, so there was a fair amount of reconstruction to be done. The "Regrowing of the Leaf" project had progressed slowly due to the vast piles of rubble still lying around. It was estimated to take three months to clear it all, but the village shinobi all pulled more than their fair share of weight, working day and night to move the debris, which ended up taking only three weeks! Rebuilding the village would take roughly two years, but people had managed to construct large shelters and cafeterias from stray materials, namely those the shinobi had just moved, and the villagers were at least able to sleep with roofs over their heads. Since those first few months, the village had gained back a fair bit of it's former charm. Not much, but it was a start.

Unfortunately, while the shinobi enjoyed their glory, there was still one casualty of Pain's invasion that had a grave effect on the village. Though she wasn't dead, she was still in a serious condition. The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade had put all her effort and chakra into protecting the village from Pain's Shinra Tensei. She protected nearly every single villager within Pain's miles-wide attack radius with nothing but her own chakra and her healing slug companion, Katsuyu. The effort and sheer toll this had taken on her body would have killed a lesser person three times over.

But while she wasn't dying, Tsunade had fallen into a deep coma that had endured for two years. So far, Tsunade showed no signs of recovery, and had left the village leaderless. A new, hopefully temporary Hokage was needed to lead the village. The more experienced and veteran shinobi were in favor of Kakashi Hatake taking up the mantle, as he was quite skilled and intelligent, as well as a student of the prodigious Fourth Hokage, so he seemed the ideal choice. But that choice was snatched away by one Danzo Shimura, the head of Root and the current faux Sixth Hokage. Danzo somehow made himself the prime candidate for Hokage in the eyes of the Fire Daimyo, the lord of the Fire Country. He was never officially made the Sixth Hokage, as the Fifth, Tsunade was still alive. Thus, while he still had the authority of a Hokage, he had yet to attain the full title of one. He had made several large changes to the village in the past two years.

* * *

That was the extent of Naruto's intel on Danzo and the village as a whole. While he didn't know Danzo's true goal regarding the village, he did know that Danzo's rule was a corrupt and cruel one. Hopefully Naruto could stay hidden long enough to find his target.

It was a cold and foggy night for Naruto's return to his home village. The air was still and moist, creating a very thick, murky environment around the village. At this time, most people would be in their homes sipping hot tea and preparing for bed, eager to escape the cold. Naruto, however was not most people, this brumous atmosphere was all the better for him. Fog meant low visibility, perfect for his plans. The Fog grew thicker the higher up a person was, and Naruto was certainly high...In altitude. Naruto was perched on one of the stone heads of Hokage Monument, high enough to be hidden by the fog, and low enough to keep an eye on those below him. The mountain had been left unscathed by Pain's attack, and had remained unchanged since then. Thankfully, even Danzo wasn't brazen enough to carve his own face into the sacred monument. Yet.

Naruto was deep in thought, sitting atop the rock sculpture of his late father, Minato Namikaze. After his fight against Pain, Naruto had come to a realization about himself. In order to fight Pain, Naruto had trained like mad, hoping to gain enough skill and power to protect the village and his friends. That training was ultimately worth it. He fully mastered the Sage Mode taught to him by the toads, something which even his raunchy teacher, Jiraiya had failed to accomplish. Naruto fought Pain, eventually destroying all six of his bodies. But, it had been a very narrow victory that might have turned out far worse.

After a long and difficult battle, Naruto had been impaled through his hands with a chakra disruption blade. Pinned to the ground through his hands damn it! Those scars still hurt! Naruto would've been captured right then and there. Hinata did her best to save him, but it was only through the Nine-tails power that he escaped, a power that had nearly destroyed him, in both body and mind. All his effort and training, mastering Sage Mode, developing the ability to throw the Rasenshiruken, these all helped greatly, but it wasn't enough. He had been rendered helpless. That was Naruto's realization, he needed to become stronger. Strong enough to fight the threats of the remaining Akatsuki, as well as Sasuke, if necessary. So, he left the village for another training road trip, just as he did with Jiraiya years before. He would go anywhere, into any country, anywhere in the Five Great Shinobi Countries, and even to places beyond, to become stronger.

But before he left, Naruto wanted to tie up a very important loose end- Sakura. It was time the two have a very long talk with each other, during which they discussed the sudden disappearance of the Akatsuki after Pain's attack, which was the second reason for Naruto's departure. Both of them knew the organization wasn't gone, they had just simply retreated or gone into hiding. This window, where the greatest threat to the ninja world was inactive, was the best time to train and prepare for the inevitable war with Akatsuki. Naruto hoped that Sakura wouldn't be too harsh with him about leaving again, especially on such short notice. But, while Sakura wasn't happy about his departure, she ultimately agreed with him, and in fact decided she too would become stronger, much to Naruto's surprise, and delight. They would fight together on the front lines as equals. It was a single conversation, but Naruto had felt infinitely closer to Sakura because of it. Indeed in those hours the two had been closer than they had ever been. It was nice, being able to talk with her openly without any immediate concerns.

That night, the sky was clear, and the stars were shining so brightly, reflecting off the river at the old training ground, where Team 7 first came together. Naruto and Sakura talked about those days as well, and the silly romantic triangle the team had going on. Naruto had pursued Sakura's affections and received the swift rebuttal of her fists, while she sought out Sasuke, and was met with his cold reception. As the hours passed, their talk shifted to their feelings for each other. The two had grown close, protecting each others backs and giving moral support. They were certainly loyal teammates, but could they possibly be more than that? Whatever chance Sakura had with Sasuke was dashed when he ran off to become Orochimaru's pet, and left Sakura in tears, who then turned to Naruto and begged him to bring Sasuke back. At the time, Sakura only really thought that Naruto was fulfilling the wish of a dear friend, one teammate to another.

But in the years since, Sakura had been mulling over Naruto's attraction to her, and the underlying emotion behind his loyalty. He wasn't just fond of her, Naruto had truly strong feelings for her, and in reflecting on all the dangers they faced together, all the times they bickered, and the deep friendship the two made, Sakura realized her emotions towards him, and confessed she had the same kind of feelings for Naruto as well. It was definitely a long night for both of them.

The following morning brought the day of Naruto's secretive departure. He hoped to leave without attracting any attention, but he couldn't bear to not say goodbye to his pink-haired teammate. At what remained of the village's entrance, before Naruto set out for parts unknown, Sakura had given him a gift to remember her by. An old red ribbon, the same one Sakura had first started wearing as a child. Naruto was somewhat concerned about Sakura giving him such a precious item.

"Sakura, I have only a faint idea of where I'm going and what kind of monsters I'll be facing, I might lose this or it could be ruined, do you really want to give me this?"

"Moron, of course I do. I know you won't let anything happen to it. I trust you."

"Even so, I thought this meant a lot to you."

Sakura pulled Naruto in closely, warmly embracing him. The two just stood there, several minutes all to themselves. That day still remained crystal clear in Naruto's head, as a soft breeze came in, softly rustling the trees. Finally, Sakura shifted her head until she faced Naruto, her emerald eyes gazing into his dark blue ones, the two connecting in deep understanding and appreciation of each other. Their faces were mere inches from each other, until Sakura finally kissed him. Breaking the kiss, she finally replied.

"It does mean a lot, and that's the only kind of gift worth giving Naruto, I want you to have it."

Naruto, true to his word, had kept the ribbon safe for two years. Through assassins, giant killer animals, and horrors beyond the Five Great Shinobi Countries, he held it close, a totem to his connection to Sakura, with not a scratch or tear on it. He hoped to give it back to her when his in Konoha mission was finished.

It had been a long two years for Naruto, both because of being away from his home for so long, and because of the dangers he fought to gain new power. He had put himself through hell strengthening his chakra control, his combat skills, and developing some other attributes of his. He learned to be quiet, and had become fairly good at infiltration. He learned many new wind techniques to broaden his control of the versatile chakra nature, as well as learning about...special chakras of his. Apparently the Kyuubi had some unusual attributes and powers that Naruto could utilize, beside the usual jinchuriki abilities.

He also gained much knowledge in the last two years, studying in vast libraries and scrounging through archives to gain information about many subjects; the various Tailed Beasts, the members of Akatsuki, the secrets of the Uchiha clan. He needed to know everything he could in order to fight against those that threatened his home & his friends. He had also added an important tool to his arsenal.

He had taken to using a broad knife as his primary weapon. It was light, easy to use, and made for one hell of a weapon. It actually came with one or two special features as well. Seeing as how Sasuke was a master with a sword, Naruto had modified his knife to be extendable. With a flick of the switch on the knife's hilt, several metal sections within it elongated and aligned with each other, creating a reliable and sturdy sword.

The metal of the blade itself was the same material as most chakra blades, such as Asuma Sarutobi's trench knives. It could absorb the chakra of the user for various effects. When Naruto used his wind chakra, the blade's cutting ability would be greatly increased, as well as the weapon's length, if needed. Naruto later discovered in his travels that other chakra types could be channeled as well, with amazing results. He also named his trusty weapon; _Namikaze, _in memory of his father. Hopefully, all these additions to his skills and arsenal would be enough for the coming battles.

* * *

"Are you going to sit here for the rest of the night!?" The Kyuubi shouted. Its voice roared deep within Naruto's mind, disturbing his train of thought.

"Oh shut up will you, it's been two years, I think I've earned a little time to myself," Naruto retorted. This greatly irritated the fox. "You're never by yourself, little runt, I'm going to be stuck in here for your whole cursed existence! Now I am very bored, and would love it if we just got moving!"

Naruto was bemused at the Fox's outburst. "You're rather touchy tonight aren't you?" Since the fight with Pain, Naruto and the Fox had eased the tension between each other. They weren't friends exactly, more like neighbors who couldn't move away from each other. So rather than duke it out and wind up killing each other, the two eventually agreed that it was best to work together in some capacity to be a more capable fighting team. One side effect of this was that the Fox became far more vocal, bickering with Naruto rather often.

"Well, wouldn't you be 'touchy' knowing what we're looking for here?" The Fox did have a legitimate point.

"True enough. Just, take a nap will you? I need to focus." Naruto arose from his daydreams, and picked up the bag he carried with him for two years, slinging it around his shoulder before leaping from the Fourth's face all the way up to the Third Hokage's face. He practically flew through the air, and his jacket flapped at the burst of speed until he finally landed on the sculpture's forehead. This was a better vantage point anyway, at least for what Naruto needed to accomplish. The first step was recon, and Naruto had just the thing for that.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A shadow clone, identical to Naruto popped into existence before him. Shadow clones were excellent scouts. Any experience or information they gathered could instantly be transmitted back to the justu's user upon the clones dispersal. And while sending a shadow clone to gather info on his target was a solid strategy, he needed to be discreet. For this mission, Naruto needed to stay hidden, at least until the right moment. After all, he had created a special technique for stealth mission such as this.

"Alright, you know what to do. Look for him, get whatever info you can. If possible, capture him and bring him back. Alright soldier, move out!" Naruto saluted his clone farewell.

"Yes sir, General sir!" The clone saluted back with the utmost bravado, and pulled up the jacket's hood, activating the concealment technique Naruto had invented. It was a self contained field that obscured the users face and adapted to the environment around it, depending on how much chakra was pumped into it. The more chakra, the greater the camouflage. Like the Rasengan, it needed no hand seals, so it was quick to use. Sadly, Naruto had yet to name it.

Turning around, the clone back flipped off the Third Hokage's face, rising several feet at the jump, before gracefully falling towards the village and eventually disappearing through the fog. Hopefully the clone would find Naruto's target, this "Master Thief."

"Why do you insist on having your clones call you general?" Questioned the Fox.

"Because I can!" Responded Naruto.

"Ugh, why did your dad have to seal me inside you!?"

"Because he knew I have the natural charisma and sharp mind to force you into submission."

"Do you have any idea how moronic and nonsensical that sounds coming from you?"

"Hee hee, you do know I'm just messing with you right?"

"Ugh. You're an idiot."

"Maybe so, but I'm the idiot your stuck with, so ha!"

"Aaargh! You are the most moronic, insufferable, piece of-"

As the fox wove a tapestry of curses in the shinobi's head, Naruto decided it was time to find a hiding spot. Near the uppermost right area of the Hokage Mountain would be best, as it was largely abandoned since Pain's attack. Naruto soared from perch to perch, performing the occasional flip or wall-run along the rock face as he did. As he fell the long distance towards the Second Hokage's visage, he grabbed onto one of the many protrusions in the rock face with both arms. He swung one, twice, and finally launched himself, flying like an arrow along the cliff-side. Eventually his momentum slowed, and he was left running on the cliff, and flipping up over the First Hokage's face. He maneuvered with relative ease, having improved his acrobatics & agility during his travels, partly because it was important to expand his skills, and partly because it was just fun to traverse any terrain while looking awesome, such as when soaring through a forest, or running straight up a vertical cliff. To hell with gravity.

Naruto soon stumbled upon, or flew into a small cave in the cliff side. It was perfect to hide in; wide enough to be used as reliable hideout, and embedded deep enough in the cliff so that he would not be immediately seen. People looked at the mountain every day, but none of them really looked at it; to see it's details and features. There were actually countless nooks and crannies to hide in, which Naruto had found on occasion as a child, when he'd painted over the Hokage's rock faces.

Naruto set down his traveling bag, and pulled out a large sleeping bag from it, along with a large water bottle, a small pillow, and his old nightcap. The traveling bag was far more spacious than it looked, courtesy of studying his late father's techniques. He'd have time to set up properly tomorrow, right now he just needed some damn sleep. The clone would report back when it was done. But as he set aside his jacket and concealed weapons, his thoughts drifted to his teammates. Was Kakashi doing okay? Was Sai still creepy as ever? Had he finally learned to smile properly? How would his teammates react to his sudden return?

Naruto doubted it would be a warm welcome due to his sudden departure. He had only told his teammates apart from for Sai, and Shizune that he was leaving to train. Sai had insisted that Naruto not say a word to him about it. Danzo had ways of "extracting" information from his agents. So, only Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura, and Shizune knew. Shizune had some small power as Tsunade's assistant and current caretaker, and had unofficially authorized Naruto's departure, so that if he was ever suspected of going rogue, they could state he was on leave or a special mission.

Nearly everyone else assumed the former, that he had left on some important & unknown personal matter. Sadly, all that old business would have to wait. He couldn't walk in and greet all his friends and let everything go back to normal, no matter how hard he wished it so. Naruto had to focus on his target, or else Konoha might be destroyed...Again. But if the rumors and stray drunkards were to be believed, what threatened the village was something far worse than Pain. But, despite the mental whirlwind in Naruto's head, one question took top priority, a matter of life and death.

How hard would Sakura punch him for not writing back in the past two years?

* * *

That same night, a weary figure in a large, deep brown coat, and with deep purple hair stumbled in one of Konoha's many alleyways. His breathing was heavy and very labored.

Today had been a catastrophe for Katsuro. He had just barely managed to escape from two of the most talented and dangerous shinobi in Konoha - and their enormous dog – by causing widespread panic and destruction. He nearly killed a child, and injured possibly hundreds of villagers. Katsuro couldn't help but feel dirty, and angry. He was angry at himself for having done such a vile act, he was angry at Danzo for making life more miserable and difficult for the villagers, and he was angry at Sakura for being so damn persistent in trying to catch him. Didn't she have anything better to do!?

But his greatest hatred was reserved for his employer, if such a word could be used for that..Monster. True, the man had helped Katsuro to be an effective thief, but there was something unnatural about him. Every time the two met, Katsuro felt like he was stuck in a dark, humid cave; eery, frightening, and claustrophobic. It was like the air grew heavy in the guys presence, as if his very existence was disturbing nature itself.

"Finally, you're here Katsuro."

Speak of the freaking Devil!

"Yeah, I'm here. Where the hell were you today!? I got chased by Sakura Haruno, that Kibo Inuzuka kid, and his damn dog. Were you too busy to help me out!?"

There was a brief pause between the two. It was only a few seconds, but to Katsuro it felt like an hour. That's what being nearing this guy was like. He had some aura that felt like being in a predators grasp. What could he possibly be waiting to say? What foul, poisonous words would this madman speak?

"You do know his name is actually 'Kiba' Inuzuka, right?"

Katsuro face palmed. Hard."That. Is so not the point! I almost got pulverized by those three, and you just hid! Are you scared of a couple of shinobi!?"

Suddenly, the employer, who had been standing ten feet away, was now right in Katsuro's face. His movement was instantaneous. The thick black cloak and hoodie concealed the man's figure, though Katsuro could tell this guy was strong. All that he had ever seen of his employer was the guy's mouth, which was now in blood-curdling snarl, like he was ready to tear Katsuro apart with nothing but his teeth.

"Don't dare to doubt me Katsuro. If I interfered, our true motives might be revealed, and Danzo would know of our plans. You wouldn't want to be captured by him would you?"

The man moved ever closer as Katsuro stepped back, until he was up against the wall.

"Do not think you are vital to _our_ plans Katsuro. You are merely a tool that I saw some use in, however menial that might be. I found you, trained you. I built you into someone who can actually accomplish something. But, do not forget that you are easily replaceable. If you are caught, you will suffer an "accident," and I can find another street urchin to carry out these errands. Do. Not. Forget that. Understood?"

"Yes we are! Crystal!." Messing with a guy this weird would definitely not end well, and fighting was out of the question. Even if Katsuro caught him off guard, the man would probably kill him in seconds flat.

"Good. Now, did you get the map?"

Katsuro pulled the folded map from his pocket, it was surprisingly small for a map of Konoha.

"Right here, the old guy didn't know what robbed him."

The employer unfolded the map, and examined it with great interest. Rotating it and analyzing its features, he seemed to have lost all interest in Katsuro, who by now was quite curious about his mission.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, why is this map so small anyway? I know it's old, but-"

"Because it's not just an old map. It's the first map of Konoha ever made, created when the village was founded. Back then it was still growing, and quite small compared to the decadent village you know today."

"You mean before it got turned into a giant dent"

"Precisely."

"Ah, the good old, level days."

The employer looked at Katsuro, clearly having no tolerance for idle talk.

"Sorry."

A few minutes later, and the employer pulled out a pen and started vigorously marking up the map, while Katsuro tried to work up the nerve to ask a question that had long lingered on his mind.

"So, uh, after we find this, Urn, you'll let me go? I can leave right?"

"If you manage to find the Urn, and then test it, then yes, you'll go free."

Katsuro breathed, relieved that the man had answered without a death threat, as he so often did.

"There." Katsuro was shaken from his temporary reprieve, and remembered that he was being ordered around by what could be a ruthless psychopath. The employer folded up the map, and handed it to Katsuro.

"The directions to the Urn are written down. Hopefully you can follow basic handwriting."

Katsuro took a peak at the notes on the map. They were pretty straightforward actually.

"How did you figure all this out from a vase and a map? They're both just old relics from a forgotten time."

The employer raised his hand, as if ready to chop Katsuro in half with it, causing him to flinch.

"Do not inquire things you don't understand."

"But what about that whole thing where you need 'the eyes of the first son' to find the Urn?"

The employer was again in Katsuro's face, except this time he had been lifted up several feet off the ground by his coat. The man had lifted him with one hand, with no visible effort or strain. Damn, he really was strong. Though the humor was lost on Katsuro, who by now was paralyzed by the man's gaze, and his deep, cold, ruthless voice.

"Find the Urn. That is all you need to know." He loosened his grip, dropping Katsuro to the ground with a heavy _thud. _His voice took on an feral growl

"Now get the hell out of my sight and FIND IT!"

Katsuro needed no second prompting, so he promptly regained his footing, and ran out of the alleyway into the cold, foggy air. Meanwhile, the man in black stood in the alley, watching the scared little man run. He chuckled to himself, and walked off in the opposite direction Katsuro had gone, and thought of the oncoming destruction of Konoha.

"He he he. Soon, we'll find the Urn. Then we can harness the true power of Serengeti."

As he muttered those words to himself, his eyes flashed a deep red

** Authors note: Alright! Finally finished chapter 3. Just wanted to clarify that in this story I hope to go back and forth between the perspective of Sakura and Naruto, so there will be parts where we might not see Sakura or Naruto for maybe half a chapter. Chapter 2 was meant to establish the changes to Konoha & to Sakura, to set the stage I guess, and now we will be bouncing back and forth between Naruto and Sakura, with the occasionally bit focused on Katsuro, and hopefully see events from another character, such as Kakashi, Sai, Ino, etc. **

** Hope you guys like this one, cause I'm not gonna lie, writing something that's supposed to be romantic is kinda new for me. I do prefer the Naruto x Sakura pairing, mainly cause the two have been through a lot together. If the manga turns out with them coming together, I can see them as a real battle couple, you know kicking ass and taking names together to the tune of Nine Inch Nail's "We're in this together," or just the Fourth Naruto Shippuden opening. Though that's just my opinion, honestly feel free to love whatever pairing you want. But I've rambled enough.. So, as always, post reviews if you want, and feel free to ask any questions about the story, plot points, etc. Peace!**


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